The present invention relates to an improved data processing system and, in particular, to customization of Web services.
HyperText Markup Language is a document format used on the World Wide Web. Web pages are text documents built with HTML tags embedded in the text. HTML defines the page layout, fonts, and graphic elements as well as hypertext links to other documents on the Web. HTML is derived from the Standard Generalized Markup Language (SGML).
A subset of SGML is known as eXtensible Markup Language (XML). XML is used for defining data elements on a Web page and business-to-business documents. XML uses a similar tag structure as HTML; however, whereas HTML defines how elements are displayed, XML defines what those elements contain. HTML uses predefined tags, but XML allows tags to be defined by the developer of the page. Thus, virtually any data items can be identified, allowing Web pages to function like database records.
XML tags are defined in an XML Schema, which defines content type as well as name. XML tags can also be described in a Document Type Definition (DTD) format, since XML is a subset of the SGML language. HTML uses a rather loose coding style and is tolerant of coding errors while XML pages need to comply with rigid rules.
HTML and XML documents are primarily text documents. Therefore, HTML and XML documents can be created and edited using a simple text editor. In addition, specific editors may be used for creating and editing HTML and XML documents. These editors may be implemented in a variety of ways. For example, a stand-alone application may be provided. Web-based solutions may also be used. Such solutions do not require the author to install heavy software on the client and, theoretically, the editor may be supported by any computer with a Web browser application. Another way of making XML more readable is through commercially available tools based on eXstensible Stylesheet Language (XSL) technology. XSL provides a mechanism for customizing the display of the Web service configuration so that it is easier to read and interpret.